Emperor's son rebuked over princess visits

Discord at the heart of Japan's imperial family has been exposed amid reports of escalating conflict and ill health inside one of the world's oldest monarchies.

Worrying signs came in a rare public rebuke from the head of the imperial household to Emperor Akihito's eldest son, Naruhito. He said the prince should take his daughter to see her grandparents more often.

Grand Steward Shingo Haketa urged Prince Naruhito to fulfil a promise he made a year ago to let his parents spend more time with six-year-old Princess Aiko.

It comes after the emperor's doctors last week said Akihito, 74, would relinquish some of his duties to prevent the onset of the bone disease osteoporosis. His early symptoms are thought to be linked to cancer treatments he has had.

His wife, Empress Michiko, is also unwell. She has complained of dizziness and chest pains. In the early 1990s she had a nervous breakdown, reportedly triggered by unflattering magazine articles, that left her unable to speak for months.

But it is Naruhito's relations with his parents that most concern officials. Last year he visited his them 15 times, while his brother, Prince Fumihito, his wife and three children made three times as many visits.

Naruhito marked his 48th birthday last weekend by admitting, in the coded language of the Japanese royals, he had not been an attentive son.

Though he said he would 'do as much as possible' to make more frequent visits, he added: 'I would rather not say anything further about the issue because it is private.'

Many observers believe he is too busy caring for his wife, Princess Masako, 44, who has withdrawn from public life since being diagnosed with an 'adjustment disorder' in 2004. Her illness, described as depression, was attributed to her inability to produce a male heir amid a looming succession crisis, and the pressures of life inside the imperial palace. Expectations eased after her sister-in-law gave birth to a boy in 2006 but Masako is still not well enough to resume her duties.